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Duke Assistant Jeff Capel Named the Best College Basketball Recruiter in the Country

By Chris Brown

Nov 15, 2014; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski (right) and associate head coach Jeff Capel give instructions to their players in their game against the Fairfield Stags at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2014; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski (right) and associate head coach Jeff Capel give instructions to their players in their game against the Fairfield Stags at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports /
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Blue Devil associate head coach Jeff Capel earns well-deserved #1 college basketball recruiter ranking from ESPN.

Recruiting has become a major part of college basketball and had a huge impact on the game. Duke has excelled in recruiting recently, and will bring in their 5th straight Top 3 ranked freshman class next season. Associate head coach Jeff Capel has emerged as the top recruiter for Duke, and ESPN recently named him the best recruiter in all of college basketball.

Related Story: Duke Adds International Prospect to Recruiting Class

Jeff Capel is a former point guard for the Blue Devils and played for Duke under head coach Mike Krzyzewski from 1994-97. He excelled during his playing career totaling 1,601 points, 433 assists, and 220 three-pointers, and the 4-year starter finished as one of the top guards in Duke history in minutes played, three-point field goal percentage, three-point field goals, and assists in addition to making a trip to the 1994 NCAA National Championship game.

Capel joined the Duke coaching staff in 2011 as an assistant and was promoted to associate head coach in 2013 after head coaching gigs at VCU and Oklahoma- in addition to being the acting head coach one game this season for a Duke win at Georgia Tech while Coach K was out sick. Most known for coaching NBA All-Star Blake Griffin at Oklahoma, the Duke alum has played a huge role in the Blue Devils’ success since returning to join the coaching staff.

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Since arriving at Duke as an assistant, ESPN writes “Capel has had his fingerprints on virtually every recruit Duke has reeled in”. This includes an extremely talented list of former Blue Devil All-Americans and All-ACC performers such as Austin Rivers, Quinn Cook, Jabari Parker, Rodney Hood, Justise Winslow, Jahlil Okafor, and Tyus Jones, current players Grayson Allen, Brandon Ingram, Derryck Thornton, Luke Kennard, Chase Jeter, and more.

Duke will also be adding one of the top recruiting classes next season, with #1 overall recruit Harry Giles, #2 overall recruit Jayson Tatum, 5-star guard Frank Jackson, 4-star forward Javin DeLaurier, and Australian standout Jack White all committing to join the Blue Devils next season. It’s safe to say that Capel also played some role in helping to convince this talented group of prospects to come play for Duke too.

The full rankings of the best recruiters in college basketball can be seen here if you have an ESPN Insider subscription. Jeff Capel has received numerous head coaching offers from other schools but declined to remain an assistant with the Blue Devils, and we’re really glad he decided to stay at Duke to help recruit players to join the program he competed for as a student athlete.

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